The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Panicum hybrid and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘Bad Hair Day’. ‘Bad Hair Day’ represents a new cultivar of switchgrass, an ornamental grass grown for landscape use.
The new cultivar of Panicum was derived from an ongoing controlled breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Glencoe, Ill. The objectives of the breeding program include developing new cultivars of Panicum with novel ornamental traits and increased drought tolerance.
‘Bad Hair Day’ originated as a seedling that arose from seed planted of Panicum amarum ‘Dewey Blue’ (not patented) that was pollinated with pooled pollen from numerous cultivars of Panicum virgatum (all unpatented) in August of 2007. The exact male parentage is therefore unknown. ‘Bad Hair Day’ was selected as a single unique plant in October of 2011 from amongst the resulting seedlings.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by the Inventor by rhizome division in Glencoe, Ill., in June of 2013. Asexual propagation by division has determined that the characteristics of the new cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.